Process of hydrogenating fatty materials.



C. ELLIS.

PROCESS OF HYDROGENATING FATTY MATERIALS.

APPLICATION men OCT. 2|. I915.

1 ,285,959 Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Witne sacs njwwwtoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OABLETON ELLrsQor MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

. PROCESS or HYDROGENATING FATTY MATERIALS.

Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2c, 1918.

continuation in part 01' application Serial No. 686,988, filed March 29, 1912. This application filed Octoher '21, 1915. Serial No, 57,094.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, GARLETON Ennis, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of H drogenating Fatty Materials, of which the ollowing is a specification;

This invention relates to the hydrogenation of oils and relates particularly to a procedure or treatment involving the handling of large quantities of oil in a cheap and effi- 'cient manner.

The procedure or organized series of cor related steps involved herein in the preferred form hereof are as follows: (1) Formation of catalyzer in a body of the oil. (2)Violently agitatin such catalyzer in the presence of, and pre erably by means of a strong current of hydrogen, and thereby forming a spray, fog, or mist from the oil during the period of hydrogen addition.

This application is in part a continuation of copendingapplication No. 686,988 filed Mar. 29, 1912 (now Patent 1,217,118) which in turn is in part a division of an applicationcopending therewith, Serial No. 656,100,

filed October 2, 1911 (which last mentioned application has now matured into U. S. Patent 1,026,156).

By my-inventlon various greases and fat stock including oleic acid may be hydrogenated. The conversion of oleic acid, using the various commercial forms e. 9., red oil, elaine oil,-distilled fatty acids from various animal and vegetable oils, recovered oils of textile mills and the like, into stearic acid by the present process is most effective, ordinarily, in thepresence of a colloidal catalyst or oil colloid.

Such catalysts as nickel, copper, iron, palladium, platinum, cobalt, chromium, manganese, titanium, molybdenum, vanadium and the like in a finely-divided state, or in the form of their oxids, carbids, silicids, etc.,

may be employed. The fatty material carries thecatalyst preferably in an oil-soluble or colloidal form.

Metallo-organic compounds soluble in oil, which consist of a catalytic metal united to a very weak organic acid, such as oleic acid, are suitable for this purpose;- especially as by regulating the temperature properly these metallo-organic compounds may be de composed in a predetermined manner, setting free the catalyst not 'asa pulverulent catalyzer but as. an oil-colloid in a state of extreme subdivision and colloidall dissolved or existin in a state of quasi so ution wonderfully conducive to accelerated hydrogen absorption by the. fatty material.

In accordance with the process'o'f the present application, I treat the material with hydrogen or water gas as a fog ormist. Mere agitation orsimply spraying the material is not suited for the treatment of some oils with water gas. Instead the material re-' quires to be comminuted to an extreme degree. In case atomization is effected by the mutual impingement of two or more streams or jets of oil under pressure, an auxiliary jet of hydrogen or water gas under pressure may be used to further comminute the oil.

produced, which absorbs hydrogen with great ease; thus making possible the treatment of certain otherwise very resistant greases.

According to the fatty material under treatment the pressure likewise may be varied to suit the particular requirements, although operation at ordinary atmospheric pressure generally is sufiicient.

When an oil colloid is to be produced by heating an oil soluble metallo-organic compound to the requisite temperature, the selection of the metallo-organic compound should be made with particular reference to the hydrogen absorptive properties, thermally considered, of the oil to be treated.

The contact of oil and catalyzer with hydrogen is secured by converting the "hydrogen. and the fatty material .and catalyzer into a mist or fog, and thereafter again reusing the residual or unconsumed gas so that the gas travels a cyclic path; thus a more rapid flow of the gas-is created which favors absorption.

The oil and catalyzer may be contained in a suitable'vessel which is preferably considerably greater in length or height than in diameter, so that the path of travel of siderable length. The chamber may be in the form of a conduit whereby maximum contact of oil and gas is secured and the passage of a strong current of hydrogen through such narrow passage produces an oil-mist in which the oil absorbs the hydrogen to advantage. The hydrogen gas not the gas through the body of oil is of conabsorbed by the oil is collected Without any .substantial alteration in pressure and is pumped back so as to come into repeated contact with the oil.

The use of colloidal catalysts broadly, is claimed in my copending application 686,988, and the atomization, spraying or conversion into fog or mistwith diluted hydrogen, such as water gas, is claimed specifically in my copending application 84,698, filed March -The process-of the present invention may be carried out in an apparatus such as is v shown in the accompanying drawing, in

which the figure represents a 'vertical section of a suitable apparatus. The numeral 1 indicates a tank or chamber of any convenient dimensions, which may be heated by any suitablemeans, for example by means of the steam jacket shown conventionally at 2. The pipe 4 indicates a gas circulating system, by means of which hydrogen-containing gas is circulated, for. example by means of the pump 5, and is injected, together with additional hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gas, from the pipe 12. This hydrogen then is mingled with oil from the pipe 6, carrying colloidal catalyzer introducedfrom pipe 7 (mingled with oil or other vehicle). By means of the atomizer shown conventionally at 8, a very fine mist of oil particles carrying colloidal -catalyst is produced. At 10 is indicated an outlet through which the product is carried away, this product consistlng of the hydrogenated oil and colloidal catalyst, and this oil-may be either completely or partially hydrogenated, and in the latter case may again be passed through the apparatus, for example memes by being reintroduced through the pip,

if so desired. If desired a part only of t.

as a hydrogenating catalyst united to a 7 fatty acid, whereby such-metal is produced in a colloidal state in such organic vehicle,

and then atomizing such liquid vehicle, with such colloidal catalyst carried therein, in an atmosphere of ahydrogen-containing gas.

2. A process which comprises atomizing a liquid fatty oil carrying a colloidal nickel,

in a moving current of hydrogen gas, separating the hydrogenated product from such oil, and again atoniizing the liquid fatty oil material carrying colloidal nickel catalyst with the hydrogen not absorbed in the said first mentioned step.

3. A process of treating fatty oils containing unsaturated bodies, which comprises converting a mixture comprising a catalyst in a colloidal state, and such anoil while in a liquid state into a highly attenuated condition by means of a gas containing free hydrogen, while at a temperature at which said catalyst is active, and thereafter soparating unabsorbed gas from the hydrogenated oil'product.-

- a CARLETON ELLIS, 

